Andrew Whitmore, 22, of Prince Street, was initially sentenced to 350 hours of community service for causing grievous bodily harm when he punched the victim in the face on August 7, 2015.

However, he was unable to complete the community service due to medical issues, and despite receiving treatment that would enable him to do it, community corrections deemed him to be unsuitable.

Whitmore represented himself in Orange Local Court on Monday when magistrate David Day gave him the jail sentence with a 10-month non-parole period.

“It was on any account a very savage [assault]: one punch, two fractures,” Mr Day said.

Mr Day took into account an early guilty plea and said Whitmore could be suitable for supervised parole on August 7, 2019. 

According to police facts Whitmore had been drinking at the victim’s home with friends on the night of the assault and after he took another resident’s car for a drive without permission and returned, the victim confronted him.

Whitmore responded by punching him in the jaw and leaving.

The owner of the car then called police who called an ambulance to take the victim to hospital, and following an x-ray he was sent to Westmead Hospital for surgery to fix two fractures in his lower jaw.

Four permanent plates and 14 screws were required to fix the man’s jaw, along with 11 stitches to the side of his face, while his bottom teeth had to temporarily be wired closed.

However, on Monday Whitmore disputed the facts and said the victim had taken a swing at him first but missed before his return punch connected.

“I’m not the type of guy to walk up to someone and just smack someone in the face, but if that’s what you want to believe ...” he said.

When asked what he had done since the assault, Whitmore said he got a job and is devoted to his family.